HTML5 ARTICLE

HTML5: Ready For The Enterprise?

There's no denying that HTML5 has made a lot of strides in recent days. With the World Wide Web Consortium finally nailing down specs for the programming language, and the language itself making its presence known in a lot of ways from gaming to apps and beyond, it's enough to make some ask if the programming language is ready for the big show: work at the enterprise level. But is it? Is HTML5 ready for the prime time that is office and enterprise-level users? The answer is never so easy, but there are a growing number who believe that the platform is finally ready.

HTML5 has a lot of advantages working in its favor. Perhaps the biggest advantage that readily leaps to mind is its sheer versatility. HTML5 works on virtually any platform and device. Since it's largely Web-based, a small upgrade to a browser--every browser vendor is out to get some kind of HTML5 compliance in place--provides a platform from which HTML5 applications can work. This also opens up value for televisions, e-readers like the Amazon Kindle and other devices as well. HTML5 also relies on a common skill set--it's based very heavily on HTML, after all--so there are plenty of developers already in line to take their current skills and, with a little upgrading, become ready to run in HTML5. Finally, since Microsoft (News - Alert) and Apple have already shown their commitment to HTML5, it's clear that the language won't be dying out any time soon, making investment in the field worthwhile.

A recent study from Kendo UI shows conclusively just how valuable HTML5 actually is to the workplace. While some had projected that the adoption of HTML5 would take around five to 10 years to fully take place, the Kendo UI survey of over 4,000 app developers worldwide made it quite clear that it's already on the ground in many places. 63 percent of respondents said they were already using HTML5. 82 percent said it was either currently important for their jobs or would be before a year had passed. Another 13 percent said it would be important within two years. Perhaps most telling of all, a whopping 94 percent of respondents said they were either actively developing with HTML5 or would be by the end of the year.

Granted, there are drawbacks. The platform is still young, the specs only very recently nailed down, and many functions won't be fully realized for some time to come. But by like token, the more effort and resources are invested in HTML5 development, the more likely these issues are to be overcome and the fullest value of HTML5 achieved.

So while there are still some problems to overcome in terms of getting HTML5 ready to its fullest, the fact still remains that HTML5 not only has a lot to offer right now, but it will likely have much, much more to offer in the near-term future. Getting in on development now is likely to pay dividends across the timeline, both now and later.

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